The Newcastle suburb promised a 'better future' 25 years ago – but there are big things still missing

The West End of Newcastle was plagued by dereliction and city leaders had decided around the turn of the millennium that the answer was to flatten swathes of housing to help pave the way for a regeneration of neighbourhoods suffering from the decline of industry.

Newcastle City Council’s Going for Growth vision was a lengthy and deeply controversial process, with some protesters campaigning against the policy and refusing to budge from their homes.

It ultimately led to the arrival of The Rise, a new-build estate that eventually started construction in 2014 and is meant to deliver 1,800 new homes – with around 730 now completed.

More than 25 years after the razing of hundreds of homes began, veteran local politicians who have lived through the area’s radical and often fraught transformation are now calling for action to ensure that their promises can finally become a reality.

Coun Higgins’ similarly long-serving colleague Hazel Stephenson has warned that a lack of basic services, like GPs, shops, and public transport, is leaving residents of The Rise and beyond “frankly fed up”.

They now want to see the New Tyne West Development Company (NTWDC), a partnership between developers Keepmoat and the council, step up the delivery of the community infrastructure required.

Coun Higgins, who has represented the area since 1995, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that locals still remind him about the “better future” they were sold.

He remembered: “We said it would be a tough period for families but that it would be worth making that sacrifice. When you make a promise like that you don’t forget about it and I am constantly in touch with people reminding me that we said that 20 years ago.”

The Labour councillor added: “The housebuilding has been great, but in relation to the rest of the infrastructure we have left that to the developer. Although we [the council] are part of the partnership [New Tyne West], we have stepped back a bit and left them to negotiate the shops and the GP services, etc. They have tried and I am not pointing the finger of blame.

“But so far it has had a lot of delays. It should have been delivered a long time ago. Unsurprisingly, not just people living in The Rise but also the families left in Scotswood who have lost their shops and GP services are pretty unhappy about it.

“It is a low car ownership area and to go to the nearest shop they have to go half a mile. That is a serious concern to us.”

The long-serving city councillor has recently renewed calls to deliver radical upgrades to the West End’s public transport services, on a scale of ambition that once suggested a network of new street trams that would run through an area that is cut off from the Tyne and Wear Metro.

Coun Higgins does reserve high praise for improvements to the area’s schools, like the outstanding-rated Bridgewater Primary. But there are now concerns about a lack of places potentially driving families away.

He said: “At one time we had lots of surplus places. Now, because the schools are doing better and we have lots of families moving in, they have got waiting lists. If we do not address that then people will have to send their kids to schools that are miles away or they are going to move. We have to provide those schools for young families.”

Coun Stephenson, who has sat on the city council since 1999, told Civic Centre housing bosses recently that residents of The Rise are “happy there, but they are not happy with the facilities on their doorstep” and that she would hate to see people starting to leave before the development is anywhere near complete.

With the NTWDC now also due to deliver a masterplan to regenerate Walker, on the other side of Newcastle, she wants to ensure that lessons are learned from the delays to critical community infrastructure in Scotswood – and on other new-build estates like the Great Park.

Coun Stephenson told the LDRS: “We have successfully attracted many young people and families populating the area, which is positive and ongoing. What is now needed is the infrastructure adopted and local retail, health, and community facilities built to complement these homes and for all residents, many who have lived through so much during the demolition and development of the area, to equally benefit from these facilities.”

NTWDC director Lee McGray said that the plan had originally been to build a new neighbourhood centre for The Rise around halfway through the housebuilding, though the developer tried to bring that forward in 2022.

However, that is yet to come to fruition and efforts are now under way to try and make it a “more commercially attractive” proposition for the retail market.

Mr McGray added: “In relation to the Neighbourhood Centre, our original plan was to design and deliver the new centre mid-way through the delivery of our circa 1,800 new homes – ensuring a market and therefore interest in the proposals from businesses and other organisations. Due to the success of the housing element, we brought the proposals for the new centre forward and went to market in 2022 with a view to engaging a retail developer.

“Since this time, several options for the delivery of the centre have been developed which have been market tested to ensure an economically viable scheme can be delivered. However, despite continued interest, we have not yet been able to secure the overall financial commitment from all key stakeholders to bring these plans forward.

“We continue to work extremely hard and are leaving no stone unturned in looking for a new solution. We are currently in the process of re-phasing the centre proposals to enable retail first – followed by other provisions – with a view to making the proposition more commercially attractive in this current economic climate.

“We work closely with our key stakeholders, in particular local councillors, and shared an update around the provision of the new centre with them only last month. This reaffirmed that we remain fully committed to developing proposals for new and improved amenities for our community.”

The city council added that a new neighbourhood centre “has always been integral to the regeneration in Scotswood” but “intended to be brought forward when there was enough new housing development to sustain it”.

A spokesperson for the local authority said: “The council is working closely with New Tyne West Development Corporation and will support them with their plans to bring developments forward.”

Susan Anthony, also a local councillor in Benwell and Scotswood, said the community “deserves the very best”.

She added: “Residents have been clear about the need for a GP surgery and other essential amenities, and we’re working directly with Keepmoat and New Tyne West to deliver them. This isn’t just about development, it’s about strengthening Scotswood as a whole. We’re committed to building a neighbourhood where families feel supported, connected, and proud of the place they call home, and we’ll keep pushing until that vision is fully realised.”